


Friendship into love takes growing

by Fangirl9890



Category: Shameless US - Fandom
Genre: AU, Art, Art AU, Drama, Fandom, Ian x Mickey - Freeform, Love, M/M, Shameless, shameless us
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-29
Updated: 2015-03-29
Packaged: 2018-03-20 05:11:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3637998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fangirl9890/pseuds/Fangirl9890
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ian is a serious artist living in New York while Mickey is just trying to get through his probation hours. They meet in an art class and Ian shows Mickey that art is more than just coloring within the lines.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Friendship into love takes growing

Everyone was there for different reasons. Some; a therapeutic release. Others; A stress free couple of hours, and many because they just wanted to learn. Ian was there because he loved art. He was at his happiest when his pencil curved around a sketch book or paint brush swept across a canvas. There was no right or no wrong when it came to art and it expressed himself when he couldn’t find the words to say it himself.

Ian was a different kind of guy. Timid, modest and intelligent. He didn’t say much because he felt like he didn’t really have too when he could just vocalize his words through his art. Pretty much what you’d expect from a New Yorker. Typical ‘hipster’ trying to make his way through life by selling art and working at a coffee shop. Ian hated that he lived in a cliché, but he loved the city and loved what he did. Ian grew up in Chicago and moved to New York when he turned 19. He was sick of his life there and wanted to move onto ‘bigger’ and ‘better’ things. Leaving his five siblings was hard but for once he was doing something for himself.

Mickey was there for a completely different reason. He wasn’t there because he wanted to relax or think. He wasn’t there because he wanted to learn. Mickey was there because he had to take art lessons as part of his probation release. It was between a sewing class and an art class. Both equally gay in his opinion, but art seemed less….somehow. He had to attend a class twice a week for a couple hours for a couple weeks. Mickey was always in trouble with the law and they were trying a different approach to his punishment. Getting him _involved._ He practically rolled his eyes at his PO when she told him that, but he didn’t want to get into anymore shit so he just agreed to it.

Mickey was the complete opposite of Ian. He was loud, brave and even though he was constantly in trouble with the law, he was in fact very smart. He pretended that he wasn’t because he didn’t really think it was all that important. He grew up in New York, born and raised. His mother died from an over dose at a really young age and even though he will deny it to his dying grave, it really did affect him. He lived with his father and three siblings growing up. Not a loving household, but he had a roof over his head and had food in his belly so he wasn’t in any position to complain.

∞

“Please take your pencils and start on a new page.” The teacher instructed as she placed a vase in the center of the room that was blooming with all different kinds of colourful flowers. The room was set up in one big circle, easels lined up one by one around the circle and the subject was always placed in the middle. Sometimes it was set up like a classroom and the subject would be up in the front, but most days, it was the circle.

Ian had a routine when it came to drawing subjects. He would sit there and just stare at it. Figure it out. The shapes, the textures, the size, the colours. His pencil was tucked behind his ear as he just stared.

“What are you doing?” He heard someone ask him after about ten minutes. He turned his head and saw an unfamiliar face staring back at him. Ian glanced back at the vase of flowers before looking back at the dark haired male.

“….Thinking?” Ian said like it was obvious. He looked over at the man’s easel and saw that his page was also blank.

“It’s not fuckin’ rocket science man. It’s a pot of flowers. What is there to think about?”

Ian’s lips turned into a small smile. “There’s lots to think about.” Ian grabbed his pencil and used it to point at the flowers. “You might see a pot of flowers, but I see…colours, lines, shapes…I see spring, I see smiling.” Ian turned back at him. “It’s not _just_ a pot of flowers.”

The dark haired male thumbed his lips as he looked back at the flowers. “….It’s still a fuckin’ pot of flowers man.” He shook his head and slouched down into his stool.

Ian started to sketch out faint lines, loosely holding his pencil in his left hand and glancing every so often at the subject. “Well, simple minded people only see a pot of flowers.” Ian responded, stroking his pencil against the paper.

The stranger’s brows knitted together and stared at Ian in disbelief. “Jesus. Don’t get your panties in a twist.”

Ian chuckled and glanced back at him, extending his hand out. “I’m Ian.” He flashed a sincere smile. “Ian Gallagher.”

He stared at the hand for a moment before he shook the hand hesitantly. He wasn’t planning on making ‘friends’ during his probation work hours. “Uh- Mickey…Milkovich.” He introduced himself to Ian. Mickey looked at Ian’s paper and saw that he had sketched out a perfect outline of the ‘pot of flowers’. “Woah, how did you do that?”

Ian looked at his paper and wiggled his pencil at Mickey. “Well for starters, I used my pencil.” Ian licked his lips and noticed Mickey didn’t have any sort of pens or pencils. He reached into his backpack and handed one to Mickey. “…Just, uh, copy it.” Ian shrugged and went back to sketching.

“I can’t do that.” Mickey scoffed and started moving his pencil against the paper. It was messy, rough and rushed. It could be compared to a third grader drawing a picture for their mother and being so proud of it when its hung up on the refrigerator. Ian looked over at Mickey and opened his mouth to say something, but closed it quickly. He could tell Mickey was a beginner and just wanted to help him.

“Um-try, holding your pencil differently.” Ian suggested.

“What?” Mickey looked at how Ian was holding his.

“If you hold it loose, the strokes are softer and it’s easier to control.” Ian nodded but Mickey wasn’t getting the grip right. Ian hopped off his stool and walked the couple inches over to Mickey and wrapped his hand around Mickey’s, helping him get the grip just right. “Now…” Ian guided his hand, still on top of Mickeys, over to his drawing and started sketching out a tulip.

Mickey tense up with how close Ian came to him, but didn’t object the help. He figured if the teacher saw him trying, it would be easier for him to convince her to sign off on his participation sheet for his PO. He watched in fascination as Ian helped him draw the flower, and once it was finished, Ian stepped away, a little proud of himself.

“There.” He nodded and got back on his stool.

“You realize I’m never going to be able to do that again.” Mickey laughed and thumbed his bottom lip.

Ian shrugged “Practice man. That’s all it is.”  

Mickey let out a small breath and studied the red headed man briefly. He was so  _serious_ about this shit. Mickey almost wished he had that much passion about something, but then came to his senses and realized to have that much passion for something, he had to actually be good at something. When he was a kid, his mother signed him up on a baseball team. He loved it. The fresh air, the competitiveness of it and even liked the idea of being a part of something, made Mickey feel good about himself. But after his mom died, he started acting up and ended up getting kicked off the team. A ten year old being asked to leave a community baseball team. What a joke. Now at 22 years old, Mickey just kind of realized he will end up back in jail, and if not, dead. 

"When did you uh-" Mickey started to say as he scratched his head nervously. "Fuck, when did you start doing this shit?" He asked, nodding towards the drawing. 

"Young...maybe like 8?" Ian said, keeping his eyes on his paper as he finished the vase. "Took a couple classes....did it on my spare time...during class." Ian glanced over briefly. "Then in highschool I took art, won a couple awards...no big deal." He shrugged. "Moved here, and now I'm doing this full time." 

Mickey nodded, actually sort of interested in hearing about Ian. He found him interesting nonetheless. "You're good." 

The Gallagher flashes a smile at Mickey. "Thanks. That means a lot." 

∞

The teacher was making her rounds around the classroom, going to each student and taking a look at the work they had made in the past hour. Once she got to Ian, she stood behind him with a hand on his shoulder. "Well done, Ian. like always, very impressive. Remind me to give you a ticket after class for an art show coming up." She said as she moved onto Mickey's work. He was embarrassed. Nothing even close to comparing to Ian's but the teacher smiled at his work. "Not bad at all, Mickey." She pointed to the tulip Ian had helped him draw. "Good job on the flower. The strokes are well done." 

Mickey glanced over at Ian and couldn't help but smile. 


End file.
